


When the time is right

by slowroad



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-20 12:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/887499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowroad/pseuds/slowroad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is seven years after the war. Harry wants nothing more than to find someone that he loves and settle down and have the family that he has always dreamed of. But no one seems to be able to see beyond 'Harry Potter' and see him for who he is. So he's lonely and frustrated when he meets Draco Malfoy after seven long years and finds that there may still be hope for him and his dreams...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**  All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

...

"Harry, you have to come. You're the guest of honour," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. "I know, Hermione, but you know how much I hate these Ministry functions. Couldn't I just skip it for once?"

"I know, Harry, but this is a celebration of your defeat of Voldermort! Who will we toast if you're not there?"

"Toast each other. I keep telling you, it was not my victory alone. And I'm tired of people making a hero out of me. I'm not a hero, 'Mione. I'm just a man and I really want to be left alone. If I go to this function, I'll be hounded all evening and I'm sick to death of that."

"Maybe, people wouldn't hound you, if you got out more often."

"I don't need to get out more often. I have my home and I have my work and I'm happy."

Hermione sighed. "Are you really?"

"Of course! Why do you ask?"

"For the same reason that everyone else does, I guess. It's been three years since you broke up with Dan and you haven't had a serious relationship since then. You don't even date anymore..."

"I have my reasons. You know that."

"Of course I do, Harry. But it's not good for you to keep to yourself so much."

Harry sighed. It was an argument they'd had many times before and he was getting tired of it. He knew that Hermione was right. He had sequestered himself too much. But he was tired of being famous. He was tired of being Harry Potter. His name seemed to get in the way, no matter what he wanted to do, whether it was his work as a writer or his disastrous attempts to date...No one seemed to be able to get past the fact that he was Harry Potter and see him for what he was.

He'd dealt with the problem in his work life by choosing to write under a pseudonym. No one in the wizarding world other than his best friends were aware that Jeremy Porter was actually Harry Potter. As far as the wizarding world was aware, Harry had dropped out of Auror training just six months in and taken up charity work...probably the only area of his life where his name did any good...and that he now lived the leisurely life of a rich man, which Harry most definitely was, though his life was anything but leisurely. He worked hard at his writing and he was proud of the fact that his fame and his success as a writer had been achieved by the quality of his work and not because he was Harry Potter.

His personal life though, had been a disaster from the word go. He'd got back together with Ginny right after the war. He had been sure then, that that was what he wanted and needed but they had both realised, just a few months into the relationship that it was not working out. But they had both had the expectations of the Weasleys as well the entire wizarding world to contend with, so they'd tried to make a go of it, but after two not very happy years together, they'd decided to call it quits.

The Weasleys had been disappointed, but they had accepted it. Harry had realised in the course of those two years that he was bisexual and a month or so after the break up, he'd started dating, both men and women and of course the papers had got hold of that and made his sexuality a front page topic for days. It had been acutely embarrassing and Harry, who until then had been getting about a hundred letters a day from witches propositioning him, had started getting letters from wizards as well. The entire episode had been embarrassing and it had made it harder to date like a normal person.

Then he'd met Dan. He was a Seeker and he played for Puddlemore. He was smart and sexy and interesting and he didn't seem to care about Harry's fame. He was a celebrity in his own right. They'd got together after a few dates and the first couple of months had been very good, but Dan's schedule meant that they spent more time apart than together and that had started to put a strain on their relationship and then there had been that glorious day when he'd caught Dan cheating on him...Harry had gone to the Puddlemore training camp to surprise him and he'd found him in bed with one of the other players and that had been that.

It was a long time before Harry was ready to date again and when he did go out a few times, he found that none of his dates seemed to be able to get past the fact that he was 'the chosen one' and his personal life had pretty quickly dwindled to nothing.

That was probably the biggest reason he hated these Ministry functions so much. He always showed up without a date and ended up facing a barrage of personal questions that he didn't want to answer. And then there was the fact that a lot of young witches and wizards saw these functions as an occasion to catch his eye and sometimes even hit on him and he ended up getting a ridiculous amount of attention and spending the entire evening feeling acutely uncomfortable. And it didn't help that all of his friends had settled down with someone or the other, so he was always the odd one out.

So he really did not want to go to this function tonight, but Hermione insisted, she fussed, she nagged, she complained...and he gave in.

...

It was a couple of hours later. Harry had just finished making his speech, a task that he found himself hating more and more every year, and got off the podium. He was desperately in need of a drink. He made his way to the bar and ordered a Firewhisky. He nearly spilled it on himself when a young witch joined him and proceeded to drape herself all over him. Somehow he wrenched himself away and made his escape. Only to be accosted by Zacharias Smith who tried to chat him up. Harry got rid of him somehow and tried to find a quiet corner to hide, when he ran into Romilda Vane. She smiled and simpered and put her hand on his arm and told him that he looked good enough to eat as she inched closer and closer to him. Harry looked like he was going to be sick when Hermione took pity on him and came to his rescue.

"You should just have brought a date, Harry," she said impatiently, as she led him to one of the tables placed around the ballroom.

"Easy for you to say," Harry grumbled.

Hermione sighed. "You should just let me set you up with someone, you know."

"No thank you. I am perfectly fine as I am."

"Stop lying to yourself, Harry. You're lonely and not very happy. I know you want to be with someone. You want to be in love, get married, have a family...all of that. But that is not going to happen unless you try."

Harry snorted. "Try with who? Smith? Romilda?"

"As if they're the only people you could date," Hermione said with a huff.

"No they're not. But I have tried to date, Hermione and it didn't work. Seven years after the war and people still can't see past the scar," Harry grumbled. "I just want to be with someone who doesn't give a damn about the fact that I'm 'the bloody boy who lived.' Someone who can treat me like I'm a normal person and appreciate me for who I am and appreciate me enough to bloody be faithful to me," he said bitterly. He'd tried to forget, but the memory of Dan's betrayal still hurt. "Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not. And I know that your experience with dating and relationships has been less than good, but you can't just give up, Harry."

"I can and I have. I need a drink," Harry said and then he walked away without a word. He knew that Hermione was only trying to help, but this was a bit of a sore point with him and he was heartily sick of talking about it.

The bar was surprisingly deserted. Harry wondered why that was, when he realised that the musicians had started up and people were moving on to the dance floor. He ordered another Firewhisky and sat down with his back to the room, glad to be alone, even though he knew that it wouldn't last. He sipped his drink in silence, trying to get his thoughts in order, when he realised that someone had taken the seat next to him. He knew that he only had a few before whoever it was would notice him and start trying to talk him. So he kept his eyes on his drink and the frown on his face in an attempt to discourage conversation.

Harry was rather surprised when five minutes went by and the person next him didn't say anything.  _Good_ , Harry thought, determined not to look up. But his curiosity got the better of him. He looked up and started. "Malfoy!" he said. It was the last person that he had expected to see.


	2. Chapter 2

"Malfoy!" he said.

"Potter," Draco said with a small nod.

"What are you doing here?" Harry said.

"The same you, Potter. Attending the festivities. I would've thought that was obvious."

 _Still the same superior git, I see. Though I must say he's grown into rather a handsome git,_ Harry thought, as he sat back and regarded his companion with some interest.

"Well considering that I have never seen you 'attending the festivities' as you put it, it's a bit of a surprise, that's all."

"It's been a few years since I was in England."

"Yes, I'd heard that you'd moved to France. What brings you back?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"You always were, weren't you? It's one of your defining characteristics. But I don't understand why you're curious about me."

"I don't understand it either," Harry muttered. "Sorry I asked. I was just trying to make conversation."

Draco sighed. He knew that Harry hadn't meant any harm, but he was just so used to having his guard up that he tended to get unnecessarily defensive sometimes.

"I know. Sorry," he said. "It's just...a bit strange to be having a normal conversation with you."

"Yeah, but we've all grown up. I don't see why we can't be civil to each other."

Draco huffed. Harry was right. It was just that he hadn't expected the man to be nice to him. He was too used to being glared at and sneered at to expect anything else.

"I suppose you know that the ministry seized all our assets after the trial."

"Yeah..."

"Having sat on it all these years, they finally decided to give me back my home and some of my money. So I figured that it was time to come back home."

"They took seven years to give you back your home? That's ridiculous!"

"They were 'investigating' apparently."

"Hmph...that's the Auror department for you."

"Is that why you left?" Draco said, looking curiously at the man beside him.

"I'm surprised you know about that."

"It's hard not to know what you're up to, Potter. You get the Prophet in France too, you know."

"I'm surprised you read that rag."

"I don't. Mother does, though and for some reason she seems to be fascinated with everything you do. To the extent that that she insists on telling me about it."

"So is the rest of the wizarding world apparently," Harry grumbled.

"What's the matter Potter? Don't like your fame?"

"I know you won't believe me Malfoy, but I never did. I never wanted it," Harry said indignantly.

"Relax Potter, I was just trying to get a rise out of you...old habits and all that. I used to think that you were an attention seeking prat who wanted nothing more than to be famous, but I'm really not that stupid now. And honestly, it's shameful, the way the prophet has been treating you. But it seems that even after all this time, people just can't get enough of you...pity that."

Harry was completely taken aback. That was the last thing that he'd expected to hear from Draco. He had no idea how to respond, though. So he didn't say anything.

"You didn't answer my question," Draco said, after a couple of minutes. "Why did you quit the Aurors?"

"Because I realised that it wasn't what I wanted. I think I went into Auror training because that was what was expected of me...and I really didn't know what else to do with my life at that point. But I knew just a few months in that I didn't want to deal with danger anymore and that I'd had enough excitement to last me a lifetime, so I quit."

"You got tired of playing the hero huh?"

"Basically."

"So what do you do these days, Potter?"

"Surely the Prophet told you that as well..."

"The Prophet says that you do charity work, that you run an institution for war orphans..."

"And you don't believe that?"

"Of course I believe it. You're a do-gooder, Potter, always have been. And this is a cause that is obviously close to your heart. What I have trouble believing, however, is that this is all you do. It is hardly strenuous or challenging work and you're the kind of person who cannot be happy unless he has a challenge. So...?" Draco said as he arched an eyebrow in question.

"You're right. This isn't all I do, but that's all I'm going to say on the subject, so you might as well stop asking."

"Suit yourself," Draco said and turned away.  _Prat_ , he thought.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just tired of people prying into my life...And there are some things that I really want to keep to myself, you know."

"It's okay. I know the feeling," Draco said without looking up. It took a bit of effort, though, the not looking up.

He'd been having a bit of trouble keeping his eyes off Harry, pretty much from the moment he'd spotted him sitting at the bar. Draco had always found Harry attractive. Even when they were at school...He'd hated his guts and he'd thought that Harry had no style or class and yet he'd felt drawn to him, even when Harry was nothing more than a scrawny, clumsy, messy haired kid. So to see him again after all these years, as a man who had grown rather well into his body and his looks, was a bit disconcerting.

"So...um, how come you're here alone?" Harry said after a few minutes.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because I don't have a date," he said.

"I know that, you prat! Why don't you have a date?"

"Because I stopped dating a long time ago," Draco said. He sounded weary.

"Why?"

Draco sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"Fine. It's not like a big secret or anything. I stopped dating because I got married..."

Harry felt a pang of...what? Envy? He couldn't identify the feeling, but he did know that he did not at all like the idea of Draco being married.  _But wait...he's not wearing a ring. Does that mean?_

"...and then I got divorced."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry said, though he didn't actually feel sorry. It was just the polite thing to say.

"I'm not," Draco said. "I knew it wouldn't last. I mean, which wife is going to stay with a gay husband?"

"You're gay?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know that, Potter. Everyone at Hogwarts knew."

"Well, I didn't. So why did you marry a woman if you're gay?"

"It's a pure blood thing, Potter. I wanted an heir. You won't understand."

"You don't have to marry to a woman to have a kid, Malfoy. You could just adopt."

"I know that, but let's just say mother wanted a grandchild the traditional way and I couldn't say no..."

"Hmmm...So you have a kid," Harry said. And there was that pang again...definitely envy this time.

"Yeah, he's just a year old."

"And he lives with you?"

"Of course...His mother isn't particularly interested in being a part of his life."

"Oh! So, how do you manage? Isn't it too much work for one person?"

"I work from home, so I'm with him most of the time. And I have a house elf to watch him when I can't and mother helps out whenever she can, so we're okay."

"Does he look like you?" Harry said.

"Yes," Draco said with a smile that had a hint of pride in it and Harry found himself imagining what Draco would've looked like as a one year old and he realised that he would've been very very cute.

"What's his name?"

"Scorpius," Draco said...and then he started talking about his son, the way parents tend to do, given a chance and Harry found himself surprised by the tenderness in Draco's voice as he talked about his son. It was obvious that he was a doting father, a fact that made him even more attractive to Harry than his looks that had already drawn his attention several times in the course of their conversation.

"I envy you," Harry said after a bit. "I wish I had a kid."  _And I wish I was with someone,_ he thought. He didn't say it, but Draco heard it anyway.

 _He sounds so wistful_ , Draco thought. He knew all about Harry's failed relationships, of course and he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man. _It's such a pity_ , he thought.  _He may be a bit of a prat sometimes, but he's a good man and he'll make a good father. And a loving partner too, I'll bet._

Harry for his part, was thinking glumly about his life and wondering if he would ever have the life he wanted. He hated being alone.  _I never thought I'd see the day when I would be_   _envious of Malfoy._ _He's alone too, but at least he has a kid,_ he thought as he stared glumly at his glass. It was empty, but that didn't matter, because he didn't feel like drinking anymore.

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts rather abruptly when Romilda made her way to the bar and pounced on him with, "There you are! I was wondering where you'd got to. Why aren't you dancing? Come dance with me," she said, and she stood there fluttering her eyelashes and looking expectantly at him. Harry was acutely uncomfortable. If this was a man, he would've turned him down coolly. He would've known how to turn him down politely while making his disinterest perfectly obvious.

Harry knew how to deal with a bloke, but he still hadn't learnt how to deal with a woman, particularly one as persistent as Romilda who seemed to have made it her mission in life to hit on him every chance she got. He noticed Draco watching him with an amused smile on his face and he had an idea. It was crazy and reckless, like his ideas usually were, and it had the potential to blow up quite spectacularly in his face, but something told him that it wouldn't.

So he put on his nicest smile and said, "I'm sorry Romilda, but I've just asked Malfoy to dance with me, so I'll see you on the dance floor, I guess."

And then he turned to Draco and held out his hand...

...

A/N: Well, what do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

Draco had never been more astonished in his life...he stared as Harry turned to him and held out his hand. There was a challenge in his eyes that he knew Draco would not be able to ignore. _And he's right, damn him! Not to mention the fact that I rather like the idea of dancing with him,_ Draco thought as he took the outstretched hand and pulled himself gracefully to his feet. Harry smiled brightly at Romilda and led Draco to the dance floor while she stared at them...she looked absolutely gobsmacked, as anyone who had gone to school with Draco and Harry would be. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were supposed to be rivals...they were supposed to insult each other, fight, call each other names and get all competitive around each other. They were most certainly not supposed to be dancing together.

Harry led Draco to the dance floor wondering at his own courage...Had he really asked Malfoy to dance with him? And Malfoy had agreed? It was all a bit surreal. He'd done it in an attempt to get rid of Romilda, but he was honest enough to admit that he did want to dance with the man, if only as a ruse to get a bit closer to him. Harry had to admit that their conversation had intrigued him, it had left him feeling like he wanted to get to know Malfoy better...so why not?

Neither of them said anything until Harry stopped on the edge of the dance floor, looked Draco in the eye and said, "Will you dance with me, Malfoy?" And this time there was no challenge, just a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes that made Draco say yes without thinking. "But I will insist on leading, Potter, I know you can't dance."

"Lead if you want Malfoy, but I just might surprise you," Harry said with a smirk as deliberately led Draco to the middle of the dance floor where everyone would see them. Then he put his arms around Draco's neck and smiled. "Lead away," he said.

Draco put his arms around Harry's waist and just stood there for a moment, looking at him as if he expected him to bolt. Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Malfoy. Now are you going to dance with me or not?"

"Do you know what you're doing, Potter?" Draco said as they began to dance, keeping time with the slow and the rather sensuous number that the band was playing.

Harry didn't answer.

"I know that you only asked me to dance because you wanted to get rid of that bint, but people are starting to notice and if we continue like this any longer, we'll make the front page...pictures, speculation, the works. Surely you don't want that."

"No I don't. But I do want to dance with you and I don't care what anyone has to say about it," Harry said defiantly. "Unless it bothers you, of course."

"I don't care what anyone says about me either, but I don't understand why you would want to dance with me."

Harry sighed. "I always come to these functions, sit morosely in the corner and refuse to dance with anyone because I'm so sick of people fawning all over me. Talking to you was refreshing, alright, and I figured I could use a break from the gloom. And what better way to break through the gloom than to dance with a good-looking man?"

Draco arched an eyebrow. "You think I'm good-looking?"

_I think you're gorgeous_ , Harry thought. "Definitely good-looking," he said with a smirk, as he glanced at the man in question, taking in the white-blond hair which looked like spun silk, the silver-grey eyes, glittering with challenge, the handsome and damn near aristocratic face and that deliciously sexy body and he couldn't help the wave of desire that went through him.  _Absolutely gorgeous_.

"Well, you're not so bad yourself," Draco said as he very deliberately trailed his eyes down the length of Harry's body chuckling when Harry blushed in response. "Not bad at all," he said as he found himself admiring the dark hair that was still messy, but somehow elegant at the same time, the dazzling green eyes, the strong line of that jaw and that face that Draco had always found beautiful and the stong, well muscled frame and that feeling of supressed strength and raw power that Harry always gave out and Draco could no longer deny that he was seriously attracted to this man and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it...other than dance. So he did.

Harry seemed to have sensed the direction of his thoughts. "Let's just enjoy the moment yeah?" he said.

Draco nodded and then he relaxed and they got talking again. They were well aware of all the people who were looking at them, the whispers going around the room and the flashes of the cameras going off every now and then, but they ignored it all, choosing to focus on each other instead.

"You were right, Potter, you're a much better dancer than you used to be."

"I took lessons. Ginny made me."

"She didn't want you embarrassing her, huh?"

"Something like that."

"So why did the two of you split up?"

"There wasn't any one thing. It just wasn't working. There was no spark, no passion...it was boring almost."

"So who ended it?"

"I wanted to, but I was too much of a coward to bring it up even. And I had no idea how she felt. We'd both been pretending to be happy...And then one evening she said that she wanted out. I was so relieved, I almost did cartwheels around the room."

Draco chuckled. "Now there's an image," he said.

Harry smiled. "It was such a relief when it was all over."

"And now she's with Blaise..." Draco said. "I thought Blaise was pulling my leg when he told me."

"I know. It was a shock to me too when I heard, but they're really good together."

"And now they're getting married."

"Yeah," Harry said sounding a bit dejected. "I'm happy for her, but I can't help wondering why I have to be the only one who's unlucky."

Draco didn't say anything to that. He knew full well what it was like to be single, particularly when you quite desperately want a family, as Harry so clearly did.

"How long is it since you were on a date?" he said softly.

"A couple of years now," Harry said.

"Why?"

"Because every single person that I went out with, man or woman wanted to be with 'Harry Potter, the saviour' rather than me. They all had this image of me that they'd built up from everything they'd read in the papers, most of it bullshit and they tended to assume that they already knew everything about me and...there was just too much hero-worship there and it pretty much eliminated the possibility of anything real."

Draco listened in silence.

"I hate being alone," Harry said under his breath, almost as if he was talking to himself.

"I can imagine," Draco said softly.

"How do you deal with it?" Harry asked.

"I haven't had to deal with it since Scorpius was born. Having a baby to take care of tends to put all other thoughts and needs out of your mind."

"Hmmm..."

They danced in silence for a while. Then the song ended and they were both a little too preoccupied to want to dance anymore, so they got off the dance floor and saw all the people, their friends included who were looking at them with open curiosity.

"I don't much feel like talking to anyone right now," Harry said.

"Me neither. Let's get out of here," Draco said and they quickly made their way to the exit. They walked out of the huge main doors and they were accosted by a barrage questions from the reporters waiting outside.

"Bloody vultures!" Harry said as he dragged Draco off to the nearest apparition point and disapparated.

Draco was completely disoriented when they landed in a quiet corner of a village street. He waited to catch his breath and then he looked inquiringly at Harry.

"Sorry," Harry said. "I just wanted a word with you before you left."

"Sure. Where are we, Potter?"

"Godric's Hollow. I live here."

"This was where your parents..."

"Yeah," Harry said as he led them to small bench at the end of the street and sat down. It was very quiet save for the occasional hooting of an owl. The moon was out and the entire street was bathed in moonlight. The entire scene looked like it had been drawn from a children's story book.

"This is beautiful," Draco said.

"I know."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologise, actually."

"What for?"

"For making you front page news. You're going to be getting a lot of attention in the next few days."

"Probably a bunch of howlers too," Draco said wryly.

Harry winced. "Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay, Potter. I told you already. I don't care."

"Good...I'm glad," Harry said and he looked at the street and ran a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture that Draco was very familiar with. Harry had brought Draco here on impulse, because he couldn't stomach the thought of Draco leaving without some kind of an assurance that they would meet again...soon. Harry realised that what he really wanted was to date this man beside him. He wanted to get to know him. He was intrigued by the man that Draco had become and he was more than a little attracted to him. He wanted to ask him out, but he was nervous...

Draco watched Harry as he continued to sit there in silence, fidgeting with his robe.

"What did you really want to say, Potter?" he asked gently.

"I had fun tonight," Harry said hesitantly.

"Me too."

Harry smiled at that. It was a tentative smile that looked rather endearing. Draco had a sudden desire to gather Harry into his arms and kiss that smile. _Maybe one day. If I get_   _very very lucky_ , he thought as he waited for Harry to speak.

"I...was wondering if maybe I could take you out to dinner sometime," Harry said.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Draco said, as he arched his eyebrows in a gesture that Harry was starting to find rather attractive.

"Yes."

Draco was very surprised. It was something he very much wanted, but he was rather taken aback by the fact that Harry had actually gone ahead and asked him. "Okay," he said. "Tell me the time and place and I'll be there."

Harry smiled, looking a bit relieved and they sat there looking at each other and wondering what the hell they were doing. But neither of them could deny that strange as it was, it felt right, somehow.

...

A/N: So what did you think?


	4. Chapter 4

Draco woke up the next morning to the sound of crying. He'd been late getting back home the previous night and he'd ended up sleeping later than usual. He usually made it a point to wake up before his son, but now Scorpius was up and he was crying and whimpering in a way that very clearly indicated that he needed a nappy change. Draco shook himself awake and started the soothing baby talk that he had become rather adept at. Scorpius calmed down the moment he heard his father's voice and lay there looking at his dad with his big grey eyes as his mouth twisted in an aristocratic grimace. Scorpius always looked like that when he soiled his nappy...almost as if he couldn't believe that someone as perfect as him would be asked to endure such indignities.

Draco chucked at the sight. He leaned forward and kissed his son on his cheek and he rubbed his nose and his chin against that handsome little face. Scorpius scrunched his eyes shut and then he giggled as he felt his father's stubble against his cheek. "You like that huh?" Draco said and the he did again. Scorpius giggled and cooed and then he put his arms up. Draco grabbed the chubby little hands and kissed them lightly. "Not yet, little man. Let's get you changed first," he said and then he cleaned and powdered his son's plump little bottom and proceeded to change him. Then he picked him up and held him close, feeling his heart fill with warmth as Scorpius snuggled up to him.

They stood like that for a minute and then Draco called his house-elf and sent her off to get Scorpius a bottle of milk. Then he walked over to the window and drew open the curtains. Then he sat in the rocking chair and settled Scorpius in his lap and they looked out into the garden. Binky came back with the bottle of milk and then she stood by and watched as Draco cradled his son and fed him. She had been Draco's nanny when he was a baby and she had done everything for him. Narcissa had been a loving mother but she had always believed that things like nappy changing, feeding and baths were jobs for the elves. So Binky found it astonishing that Draco did all these things for his son by himself.

She used to argue about it, saying that it was her job and that when Master did all these things, it made her feel useless. But Draco had stuck to his guns. "I like taking care of my son, Binky, and you're not going to talk me out of it. So why don't you take care of me and this house, and let me take care of Scorpius?" he'd said. Binky wasn't convinced, but she cared a good deal for her Master and she could see that he was happy only when he was around his son, so she let it go. She watched him now as he looked down at his son with a small smile on his face and she sighed. And then she quietly left the room. It was time to make breakfast.

This was the favourite part of Draco's day. He had always been a morning person and he liked this little bit of quiet time that he got with his son before he had to get up and start his day and do all those necessary and sometimes meaningless things that all grownups have to do. It was a good time to sit and take stock of his life. He had never been particularly introspective as a kid or even as a teen, but the war had changed him. He had made so many bad and downright disastrous decisions then...all because he had chosen to follow his father instead of thinking for himself.

His life had been hell almost from the day he had turned sixteen and even when the war was finally over, Draco had despaired because he had fully expected to find himself in Azkaban, but Harry (it was hard to think of him as Potter anymore) had testified for him and somehow kept him out of prison. It was then that Draco decided that now that he had been given a second chance, he was going to take it and he was going to make something of himself and his life. He was ashamed of the things that he'd done and the person that he had been and he'd set about changing and trying to redeem himself.

And he had. He'd moved to France with his mother and he'd worked diligently to get his Potions mastery and then he'd started a mail order Potions business that quickly became successful. Then he'd married Camille and they'd had Scorpius. It had been a strictly business arrangement with Camille. She was a pureblood whose family had fallen on bad times. So she needed the money and he wanted a kid. Once his son was born, she'd signed over all parental rights and she'd left. It was a fairly cold hearted way of going about having a kid, Draco knew, but he hadn't exactly had a choice. His mother wanted a grandchild the traditional way because she wanted a kid who resembled her son, who would inherit Draco's intelligence and his looks and his magical abilities...

However it had come about, Draco was incredibly happy to be a father. He loved his son with a passion and a depth of emotion that he hadn't known that he was capable of. He watched him now as those big grey eyes looked up at him and he smiled. It was only six months since they had come back to England. His mother had gone back to the Manor while Draco had chosen to make a home for himself in one of their smaller properties in Hampshire. It was one of the few properties that the Ministry had chosen to return along with the Manor and about a third of his inheritence.

But Draco wasn't thinking about any of that now. His mind was almost entirely on Harry. He'd spent a long time thinking about him the previous night and he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Harry had asked him out.

"I really like him, Scorpius," he said softly. "I've liked him for a long time. But I used to be so awful to him at school that I never expected him to look at me or talk to me again. But he did. He asked me out. I don't know why. I don't see what he could possibly like about me..."

Scorpius cocked his head to the side as if he was listening intently. Then he pulled the milk bottle out of his mouth with a little plop and he gurgled as he gestured with his hands. Draco chuckled. "I love you too, little man," he said and then he kissed his son on the top of his head. He glanced at the clock and sighed. He had to get up and start his day. He had a bunch of hair care potions due for delivery today and he still had to finish making them and then he had to package them and send them off. It wouldn't do to dawdle. So he picked up his son, who had finished his milk and was now looking rather full and generally content with life, and he went into the kitchen. He handed Scorpius to Binky and went off to take a shower.

He came back down, freshly showered, immaculately dressed and ready to start his day. He found that Binky had laid out his breakfast and was now sitting on the carpet with Scorpius and playing with him. Draco went up to his son and gave him a quick kiss and then he sat down to breakfast. He picked up his newspaper. It was ' _The Wizarding Times._ ' The anniversary celebration had made the first page as expected and Harry and Draco were front and centre. The headline was a lot milder than he had expected. DOES HARRY POTTER HAVE A NEW BOY-FRIEND? It read.  _I'll bet the_  ' _Prophet' went with, 'Is The Saviour dating a Death Eater?'_ he thought as he stared at the front page _,_ most of which was taken up with a photograph of them dancing. Harry had his arms about Draco's neck and he was looking at him with a smile on his face. It was a happy, open smile and it sat well on Harry's face.  _Makes him look even more beautiful, if that is_   _possible_ , Draco thought as he stared at the page feeling mesmerised.

And then the owls began to arrive. His mother wanted to know why his floo was warded and why he hadn't told her about Potter when he had picked Scorpius up the previous night. Pansy wanted to know if he was shagging Potter. Blaise and Ginny wanted to know if Harry and Draco were a couple. And then there were the Howlers...ten of them. All of them seemed to be from middle-aged women who cursed him and his family and told him in no uncertain terms to stay away from Harry. Draco had been smart enough to cast a silencing charm around himself once the Howlers began to arrive, so Scorpius didn't hear any of that.

Draco knew that he shouldn't care about the Howlers but he couldn't help feeling bad. He sighed and then he sat back in his chair and looked at his son. They'd led a really quiet life so far. But his first brush with Harry had made him news. If they were to start dating, the attention and scrutiny would only increase. He'd told Harry that he didn't care and that was true but was he ready to have his personal life pried into? Was he ready for his life to be analysed and dissected and all his past mistakes brought up and discussed all over again? He had built a life for himself and it was a good one, a quiet one. He was just starting to find a foothold in England and he didn't need any negative press. It could seriously impact his business. And that would happen if he were to start dating Harry. It hadn't seemed to matter the previous night. But in the cold light of day, he began to wonder what he was getting himself into.

**...**

Harry had been up rather late the previous night. He'd been thinking about his life in general and Draco in particular. He was still surprised by everything that he'd done the last evening. He had danced with Draco and then he'd actually asked him out on a date...and Draco had agreed. It was all so surreal and yet it had felt good and it had felt right. If there was anything that Harry had learnt from his experience of the war it was to trust his instincts and do what felt right. He was very aware of the fact that things might not actually work out with Draco. The fact that they had spent a pleasant evening together did not in any way indicate that things would always be pleasant. In fact, their date could be a total disaster. But something in his gut told him that everything would work out just fine. It was the sort of certainty that he hadn't had for a long time.

And then he got out of bed and the owls started to arrive. A few of them were Howlers but the rest were impertinent letters from people he didn't know telling him "for his own good to stay away from the likes of Malfoy." Ron and Hermione turned up while he was having breakfast. They brought along a copy of the  _Prophet_ which had gone to town with the Saviour dating Death Eater theme. It was obnoxious, intrusive and prejudiced. It made Harry sick and then it made him feel guilty. Draco had only just come back to England and he was trying to settle in and make a place for himself in British Wizarding society again. He didn't need people digging into his past. And he had a kid to think about.  _What am I doing? Is this fair to him?_ Harry wondered as Hermione prattled on about stupidity and prejudice and Ron asked Harry for the tenth time that morning exactly what it was that he liked about 'that ferret'.

...

A/N: Well, what did you think?


	5. Chapter 5

It was about two in the afternoon. Draco had just put Scorpius to sleep. He stood by his bed and stared at his son for a moment. Then he bent forward and kissed his baby on his head before going back to work. He was still feeling very thoughtful. He'd ignored all the owls except the one from his mother. But he hadn't told her much either. Just that he would meet her for lunch the next day and tell her whatever she wanted to know. He shook himself out of his thoughts and tried to focus on getting the potions finished. He worked in silence for a couple of hours and then he stood up and stretched. The potions were done. They would have to rest for a while and cool before they could be packaged and sent off.

He walked out of the lab and into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. Binky was out in the garden, weeding and planting and trying to get it to look good again. Both the house and the garden had been neglected for the past seven years...the house had been mouldy and smelly and the garden chaotic when Draco had got back to England six months ago. It had taken him a whole month to fix up the house and make it liveable again. Binky was still working on the garden. Draco stood at the window, watching her, when he saw an beautiful snowy owl flying towards the house.

He opened the window for her and she flew right in. She perched on the kitchen counter and held out her leg. He sighed as he took it from her. Who was writing to him to  _now?_  He opened the letter and he recognised Harry's scrawl. It surprised him that he would know Harry's handwriting at all, let alone recognise it after all these years. He put that thought aside to examine and ponder over later and he began to read.

_Dear Draco,_

_Could we possibly meet some time today? I need to talk to you and I would prefer to do it some place private, if that's possible. I would invite you to my house but perhaps you would prefer to meet at yours. I'm assuming that you wouldn't want to leave Scorpius at home two nights in a row. Let me know what time is okay for you and I'll be there._

_Harry._

Draco was a bit surprised. What did Harry want to talk about? ' _Only one way to find out, I_   _guess_...' He went into his lab and wrote a quick reply.

_Dear Harry_ ,

_You're right_.  _I would much rather we meet at my place than yours. Is seven 'o' clock okay for you? I'd like it if we could have dinner together. I'll keep my floo open for you._

_Draco._

_**...** _

Harry stepped through the floo exactly on time. Draco was sitting in the parlour and working on his accounts. He looked up just in time to see him stumble out of the floo. He found himself smiling as Harry righted himself.

"I can never get used to these bloody things," Harry muttered.

Draco stood up and went over to him.

"Hi!" Harry said as he shuffled his feet. He was obviously nervous. A fact that somehow made Draco feel a little more at ease.

"Hi," Draco said and he couldn't help the shy smile that crossed his face just then.

It was a smile that made Harry's breath hitch _. 'That's a sight I could get used to,'_ he thought as he stared. Draco found himself feeling disconcerted by the scrutiny and he started talking, in an effort to cover it up.

"Are you hungry?" he said. "Dinner's ready if you want to eat or would you prefer a drink first? Or..."

"Draco, relax. I'm fine. I'd love to have dinner with you and maybe a drink after, but first I want to talk."

"Okay...give me a minute." Draco went back to his work table and gathered all his papers and put them away. Then he led Harry to the couch on the other side of the room and they sat down facing each other.

"How many Howlers did you get?" Harry asked.

"Ten."

"I got about fifty," Harry said.

"Ouch."

"I got around two hundred letters too...all urging me to stay away from you."

Draco felt his heart constrict at that. _'Is this what Harry wanted to talk about? Tell me that_   _he's changed his mind about that date? I've had second thoughts too, but I haven't changed my mind...'_

"So...are you here to tell me that you've decided to take their advice?" Draco asked, keeping his voice carefully blank, but he couldn't quite hide the hurt in his eyes.

"Of course not!" Harry said as he impusively reached for Draco's hand. "Look I don't know what is going on here exactly, but I feel like I really connected with you yesterday. And this," he said, as he glanced at their hands, "this feels right."

Draco sighed. "I know," he said. "I don't understand it though."

"I don't understand it either, but if my life has taught me anything, it is to trust my instincts, so that is what I'm going to do. I want to date you and I want to see where this goes."

Draco looked at Harry intently for a minute, almost like he was trying to read him, make sure that he was being sincere.

"What are you going to do about all your adoring fans who will hate you for dating me?" he said.

"I don't give a damn about them...bloody interfering busybodies. I don't care what they say about me. I'm used to it. It's you I'm worried about. I hate the way the papers dragged out the whole Dearh Eater crap again. You've just got back to England and you're trying to build your business. You don't need any negative attention..."

"Hmmm...I was thinking that too," Draco said as he gently stroked Harry's hand with this thumb. "It's nice to know that you're concerned about me, though," he said softly. It was exactly the sort of thing that he would expect from someone like Harry, so it shouldn't have surprised him, but considering their past, it was a bit surreal to see Harry worry about him, of all people.

"Why wouldn't I be concerned?" Harry said looking puzzled. "I know what kind of a curse my fame can be. It nearly always gets in the way of what I want...I've had people reject me because they had no desire to become celebrities and have their every move reported and scrutinised...and I don't want that to happen with you. I don't want my name to get in the way."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I want to date you, but I don't want to cause you any trouble, so do you think we could see each other discreetly? You know at your place or mine. I know that's not how dates are supposed to go, but it really doesn't matter to me where we meet or what we do, so long as we're seeing each other," Harry said. It was the only solution he could thiink of and it seemed like a good idea to him, but he wasn't sure how Draco would feel about it.

"That sounds good...so we don't tell anyone?"

"We'll tell our family and friends, of course. It would be too stressful to have to hide it from them, but we keep it quiet otherwise."

"Okay. Though I doubt that any of your friends will approve."

"Ginny is probably the only one who'll be happy about it and the rest will come around. Or they won't. I don't really care."

"Are you sure about that?"

Harry sighed. "I've spent a lot of my life trying to live up to everybody's expectations and I'm done. I was done when I quit the Aurors, I was done when I split up with Ginny, both, decisions I got slammed for. But I survived. People got used to it. This is the same...It was a lesson that took me a while to learn, you know. That my life has to be about what I want and not what other people expect of me and I really do want this. What about your friends and your mother? How do you think they'll react?"

"Mum will be happy. She's been pushing me to find someone for months now and she'll be thrilled that it's you. She's quite taken with you, if you must know. Blaise will, of course, be very happy about it and Pansy will probably be jealous, but she'll be fine."

"Why will she be jealous?"

"Because she has her eye on a Gryffindor as well and she's despairing of her chances at the moment."

"Really? Who?"

"George Weasley."

Harry's mouth fell open. "Seriously? Since when?"

"About a year now. She worked for him at the Wheezes for a while. She helped him out with his accounts last summer and she fell for him pretty hard. I don't think Weasley has any idea, though. He's friendly, but that's about it."

"Hmmm...George and Pansy Parkinson? She might actualy be good for him, if she's still as sassy as she used to be."

Draco smiled at that. "She's sassy alright. She's also smart and very sneaky. She usually stops at nothing to get what she wants, but lately all she's done is moon over Weasley. That's in fact what convinced me that she's actually serious about him..."

"Well, if you and I can date , I don't see why they can't," Harry said.

They slipped into silence for a couple of minutes after that as they tried to absorb and make sense of everything that was happening.

"Doesn't this seem a little fast to you?" Draco said after a minute. "We only met yesterday and already we're dating?"

"I was wondering about that too. But then it's not like we met for the first time yesterday. We've known each other for fifteen years now...and there's always been something between us," Harry said.

"True," Draco said as he looked up and held Harry's gaze for a minute. Harry looked back at him, open and honest, as always, and Draco started to feel the pull of the other man, as he felt himself drawn to that steadfast gaze and those beautiful green eyes. He'd had a crush on Harry for a really long time. ' _It would be so easy to fall for him..._ _and I would fall hard and probably_   _never recover_ ,' he thought and then he looked away, as his sense of self preservation kicked in.

"What is this for you, Harry?" he asked finally. "Is this a fling or a bit of fun or..."

"I don't do flings, Draco," Harry replied calmly. "I am genuinely interested in you and somehow, I think we'd be good together. So I want to give it a shot. I can't promise that it will work out. But I want to try. I want to see if we can possibly have a relationship. What about you? What do you want?"

"The same thing, but I think I should tell you that I have never been in a proper relationship and I haven't even dated all that much, so I have no real idea what to do or how to behave..." Draco said frownng.

Harry squeezed his hand. "I don't exactly have a lot of experience myself, but we'll figure it out, we'll make it work."

"But this is you and me, Harry. We'll probably be hexing each other by the end of the week."

"Do you really believe that?"

"No, actually. I think that's the part that troubles me really, this strange certainty I have about us."

Harry could only smile in response.

"But I hope you know that it won't always be peaceful," Draco said. "I may have changed and all that, but I'm still me. I'm snarky and sarcastic, I'm pig-headed and usually quite deermined to get my own way and I will probably get on your nerves quite a bit."

"I know that," Harry said. "And it's fine. I'm no angel either. I'm pig-headed too and I have trouble opening up and asking for help. I can be grumpy and moody and quite difficult to live with. But we'll figure it out yeah?"

"Okay. And you should know that I will always put Scorpius first."

"And you should..."

Draco sighed. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't exactly first date conversation, but I thought we should be clear about everything before we go any further."

"It's fine. I understand," Harry said. "So, where is Scorpius?"

"He's in the nursery with Binky. She's probably just finished feeding him," Draco said as he glanced at the clock.

"Can I meet him?"

Draco was as pleased by that request as he was surprised by it. "Sure. Of course," he said and then he led the way to the nursery.

Scorpius was sitting on the plush blue carpet, clapping and laughing as a bunch of miniature brooms flew about in front of him. He looked up when he saw his father. He smiled, he gurgled, he waved his arms and then he put his hands up and waited to be picked up.

Harry watched the little boy, feeling utterly bemused. He could honestly say that he had never seen a prettier baby in his life and he was a man who was currently godfather to four rather beautiful kids.

"Hello, little man," Draco said as he picked his son up and kissed him. "There's someone I want you to meet," he said.

Harry didn't miss the way Draco's face softened when he looked at his son, or the warmth in his voice when spoke to him. Harry walked up to them and smiled at Scorpius. Then he took his plump little hand and kissed it lightly. Scorpius giggled.

Harry put his hand on his heart and turned to Draco. "I think I'm in love," he said as solemnly as he could manage. Draco chuckled.

"Honestly, though, you really are the most beautiful boy I have ever seen," Harry told Scorpius, who giggled some more. "I'll bet you're really smart too," he said as he reached out and gently cupped a plump little cheek. "You're absolutely adorable, you know that?"

Scorpius clapped, almost as if he understood what Harry had just said to him. Harry cuckled.

"You're a lucky man, Draco," he said softly.

"I know."

...

**A/N: It is time to tell me how much you like this story :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I've been tied up with a lot of other writing. Three completed stories in the time since I put up the last chapter. All Harry/Draco and they're all up on this site in case you want to take a look.
> 
> Now on to the story.

They stayed in the nursery and played with Scorpius for a while. Draco was surprised by the ease with which Harry handled his son. He seemed to know exactly what to say and do to amuse him and to make him laugh. He commented on it, only to have Harry look incredulously at him.

"Are you kidding?" he said. "I'm around kids all the time. I have four godkids and I baby sit several times a week."

"Four? All Weasleys?"

"Three Weasleys and one Lupin."

Draco raised his eyebrows at that. "Theodore Lupin? My aunt Andromeda's grandson?"

"The very one, yes. Do you know him?" Harry asked as he continued to play with Scorpius. Scorpius had a Dragon in his hand that was hissing and curling it's tail and blowing red smoke through his nose. He pointed the Dragon at Harry and growled while Harry pretended to be afraid of it.

"No. But I wish I did. It's a pity that I don't know my aunt either," Draco said. He looked thoughtful. "After everything that we've been through, it seems silly to hold on to something that happened years ago, something that neither my aunt nor my mother could control, really..."

"Why don't you just write to Andromeda, then? I'm sure she'll be glad to hear from you."

"Do you think so? Mother's been wanting to get in touch with her for a while now, but she's hesitating. I think she's ashamed of facing her sister after everything that happened."

"Andromeda keeps wondering about your mother too, you know. She should just write to her. I'm sure it'll be alright. And Teddy would love to have another grandmother, particularly one who wouldn't have to worry about spoiling him."

"Hmmm...Okay. I'll have a word with mum. I'm meeting her for lunch tomorrow," Draco said.

Scorpius had lost interest in the Dragon by now...he tossed it aside and crawled over to his basket, looking for something else to play with. He dug through his things and came up with the flying brooms that he had been playing with earlier. Each of the brooms had a small figure on it, wearing Quidditch robes, gripping the broom tight and leaning forward. They were his favourite toys. He held them tightly in one little hand and crawled back to his father. Draco activated the charm on the brooms and they rose into the air, just high enough that Scorpius would be able to reach for them if he tried. He watched them quietly, for a while, with his eyes wide and his lips parted and then he started crawling around as he reached out trying to grab the little brooms. They got away several times, but he kept trying, his face set in the kind of seriousness that only a one year old can achieve.

Draco and Harry were so absorbed by his antics that they lost the thread of their conversation. They sat on the carpet, with Scorpius between them, watching him and smiling, chuckling occasionally and clapping when he finally did manage to grab a couple of brooms. He held them in one hand and crawled up to his father and plonked himself in his lap, his pretty little face flushed a bright pink from all the exertion. The only thing that kept Draco from breaking into baby talk and cooing at his son was Harry's presence.

But Harry had no such qualms. He flopped onto his stomach and babbled at Scorpius, who responded with equally enthusiastic nonsense and they had a grand old time making conversation while Draco looked on feeling bemused and wondering exactly how his life had come around to this...he'd spent many evenings with Scorpius like this,  _but Harry's_   _presence makes it so much better,_  he thought as glanced at the other man. Harry looked at him at the exact same moment and Draco smiled. Harry smiled back and nodded as if to say that he understood what Draco was feeling.

Draco was still watching Harry when Scorpius yawned and scrunched his eyes. "Ready to sleep, little man?" he said, as his son rested his head on his shoulder and yawned again. He ran his fingers gently through his son's hair and the little boy closed his eyes and snuggled a bit closer.

Draco looked up at Harry. "I'll go put him to sleep. It shouldn't take long," he said.

"It's okay," Harry said. "I'll wait." He gave Scorpius a quick peck on the cheek and left the room.

He made his way downstairs with a smile on his face. Scorpius was adorable, but it was the thought of Draco that made him smile. It was a revelation to see him with his son, all soft and warm and loving. _I like that he's shy about showing his affection but unable to_   _hide it anyway_ , he thought and then he stepped into the living room. Binky offered him a drink which he took with him to the couch. He sat back and looked around the room. He'd been too absorbed in their conversation to see anything properly before.

It was a cosy little room, the walls were painted a warm green and the furniture chosen for comfort rather than show. There were a pair of french windows that opened into the garden, with bright yellow drapes at either end and then there was a large bookshelf that ran the length of the room. Harry finished his drink and went to look at the books...he'd become an avid reader over the years and bookshelves always interested him. He was surprised to find that it was crammed full of books in no particular order. Somehow he had expected Draco to be more organised, he couldn't possibly tell you why, but that was how he had always thought of the other man. This book shelf was more like his own, a thought that warmed him, for some reason.

There were a bunch of photographs on the wall above the matlepiece...all of them were photos of Scorpius. There was a photograph of him with his grandmother and one with Pansy who Harry had to admit, had grown up to be rather a good-looking young woman. There were plenty of others, but the one that caught his eye and held it was a photograph of Scorpius and Draco. They were sitting by the window in this very room, obviously unaware of the fact that they were being photographed. Scorpius was lying in Draco's arms and looking up at him...he threw his head back and kicked his legs and giggled as Draco tickled him under his chin. Scorpius was very cute, but it was Draco that Harry found himself looking at. He was gorgeous, of course, but what got his attention was the look on Draco's face. There was only one word to describe it...joy.

It was a feeling that he himself had never experienced...and he wondered if he ever would. That thought made him realise again just how unhappy he had been ever since that mess with Dan three years ago. He hadn't been in love with Dan, but at least he'd had someone. It was painful to be alone, particularly when all his friends had paired off with someone or the other, making him feel like an outsider all the time. That led to wondering about Draco and where all of this was going to go. He had no answer to that and he wasn't deluded enough to think that it was going to be easy, but there was a feeling of rightness about this whole thing. It was something that he had felt keenly yesterday, the moment that Draco had put arms around him...and the feeling had stayed.

...

Draco stepped out of his bedroom and put up a charm that would let him know if Scorpius woke up. He made his way down the stairs and he found Harry in the living room, staring at a photograph of him and Scorpius. Harry had a small smile on his face and he was so absorbed in whatever he was thinking about that he didn't notice that Draco had come up to stand behind him.

"He does look adorable in that photograph," Draco said softly.

Harry started a little. "Yes he does. Just like his father," he said softly as he turned around.

"You think I'm adorable?" Draco said as he quirked his eyebrow in an expression of disbelief.

"In that photograph, yes," Harry replied with a smirk.

They looked intently at each other for a moment. Draco found himself glancing at Harry's lips and wondering what it would be like to kiss him...he flushed a little as he thought it might be very nice indeed. It was obvious from the way Harry was looking at him, that he was thinking about the same thing. But neither of them made a move, afraid perhaps, that it was too much too soon. They were both a bit relieved when Binky showed up to announce dinner.

They spent a long time talking that night. Binky had been so excited at the idea that they were going to have a guest that she had cooked an elaborate meal that they thoroughly enjoyed, along with several glasses of wine. The wine made it easier to talk and they soon realised how little they actually knew about each other. So they talked and shared bits and pieces of their lives, memories, choices, decisions, regrets...

They were comfortable talking about most things, but they avoided all mention of the war. Not because it would be uncomfortable to talk about it, but because they both understood that everything that had happened, was in the past and it didn't matter anymore. They had both come a long way since then and what mattered was who they were today. The crazy thing, though was that neither of them articulated any of that. They just seemed to agree on it without having to actually say the words...

It was rather late when Harry finally got up to leave. Draco followed him into the living room until they were both standing in front of the Floo, feeling a bit nervous and unsure of what to say or do exactly.

"I had a great time today," Harry said finally.

"So did I."

"Good night."

"Good night, Harry."

Harry turned to go. He grabbed a bit of the Floo powder from the glass bowl on the mantlepiece. He hesitated. He put the powder back in the bowl and turned to Draco. He moved so he was standing right in front of him, their bodies just an inch from touching. He put his hands on Draco's shoulders and reached up and kissed him lightly on his mouth, smiling when he felt the answering pressure on his lips. He stepped back and smiled.

"I'll see you soon, I hope," he said and then he was gone in a rush of green flames, leaving Draco looking and feeling a bit dazed. He stumbled up the stairs to his bedroom, checked on Scorpius and saw that he was sleeping peacefully and then he fell into his bed and closed his eyes, feeling light and happy and looking forward to the next day in a way that he hadn't, for a long time now.

...

**A/N: Tell me what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: First of all, apologies. I am sorry this update took so long. I've been busy writing for all sorts of challenges and fests over at LJ. And I've been without internet for over a week. That problem has been solved now and I'm done with at least a few of my commitments, so I promise to have the next chapter for you in less than a week.**

...

Harry woke up the next morning and chose to stay in bed for a while, instead of getting up and starting his day...he had plenty to think about. The previous evening had gone off better than he had expected. Draco had turned out to be every bit as sensible and mature as he had seemed when they had met at the Ministry. And Scorpius was just too adorable for words. The sight of Draco and Scorpius together, the way Draco looked at his son, the way he held him, the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about him...it had all worked to make the man even more attractive than he had been before.

Harry began to realise that if he let himself, he could easily fall for Draco, fall very hard indeed and it was this realisation more than anything else that made him cautious and convinced him to proceed slowly. I was obvious that there was a very strong chemistry there, but no matter what his feelings or desires, he wasn't going to act on them until they had something like a strong emotional relationship first. And he knew that Draco would want that too. That was why Harry had chosen not to push for a second date. He had made the first move. Now it was Draco's turn.

...

The owl came around mid morning. Harry took one look the elegant script and he knew immediately that the letter was from Draco. He opened it and began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I had a very good time yesterday and so did Scorpius. We would both love to see you again. Do you think you could make it for lunch tomorrow? I was wondering if we could go out on a picnic somewhere...enjoy the last bit of summer before it's gone. Let me know if you can make it. I am going over to the Manor today and I will probably spend a few hours answering all of my mother's questions. Pansy wrote to me again, demanding details. I will have to tell her something eventually, but for now, I'm ignoring her. Blaise has been mercifully quiet so far, but I know that it won't last. How are your friends treating you?_

_Draco._

...

_Dear Draco,_

_I would love to go on a picnic with you and Scorpius. In fact, I know just the place. I'll come over to your house tomorrow and apparate us over. It is absolutely private and well warded, so there is no chance of anyone seeing us. The only reason Blaise has left you alone is that Ginny is pestering me for details. I haven't told her anything yet, but I will soon. At least she understands. Ron and Hermione don't get it, though. Hermione wrote to me this morning and invited me over to dinner. I say invited, but her tone was more like "get over here and explain yourself, or else..." So anyway, I'm going over to see them today. It's best to get these explanations out of the way as soon as possible. I know it'll take them a while to come around, but I can wait._

_Harry._

...

It was about quarter past seven Harry apparated to Ron and Hermione's place. They had a beautiful little home in Ottery St' Catchpole, just a couple of miles away from the Burrow. It was a snug little place, just big enough for their family of three. There was a neat little garden, a little too neat, in his opinion, but that was Hermione for you. Even in the garden, she couldn't resist the urge to plan and control and have everything just so. Harry knocked on the door. It was opened by a very frazzled looking Ron. He had Rose in his arms and she was crying bitterly, her pink little face all scrunched up and wet. Harry reached for her almost instinctively. Ron handed her over, looking relieved.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked as he walked into the house.

"She's teething, mate. She's been like this for hours now. Nothing seems to calm her down. She's driving me crazy," Ron said.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She's just gone upstairs to take a bath and get changed. Rosie's somewhat calmer with her but she just keeps bawling when I hold her..."

Rose was still crying very loudly. Harry held her to his chest and started rocking her, talking in a low voice all the while, telling her that she would be fine and that everything would be alright and so on. It took a while, but she finally went to sleep, probably too exhausted to do anything else.

"I honestly don't know how you do that, mate," Ron said. Harry settled into the couch with Rose still in his arms as Ron walked into the kitchen to pour them both a drink.

He came back with two glasses of Firewhiskey and they got talking. Ron always had plenty of stories to tell about his cases. Harry would always listen with interest, but he didn't once regret his decision to quit the Aurors. It had been an unpopular decision at the time. None of his friends had understood. But it had felt like the right thing to do, so he had gone ahead and done it and he was honestly glad to be free of the stress and the threats and the constant danger that Ron seemed to live with.

Hermione joined them in a bit and she took Rose to sleep in her little bed. And then they sat down to eat. They continued to talk comfortably all through dinner. Hermione too had plenty to say about her work at the Ministry and then there were all of Ginny's wedding arrangements to discuss...Harry knew that his friends had plenty of questions about Draco, but he was glad that they had chosen to save them until after dinner.

When they were done, they took their drinks and went out on to the porch. The sat in silence for a while, looking out at the garden that was lit up and glowing in the moonlight...

"So, Harry, what is going on with you and Malfoy?" Hermione said, finally bringing up the one topic that they had avoided all evening.

Harry sighed. This was not a conversation that he wanted to have. But there was no help for it.

"We're dating," he said simply.

Hermione frowned, but she didn't say anything.

"But why?" Ron said, sounding pained. "What could you possibly see in that ferret?"

"Stop calling him that!" Harry said sharply.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione stopped him.

"Ron should stop calling him names, you're right," she said. Ron glared at her, but she ignored him.

"Harry, we're just worried about you, alright," she continued. "You haven't dated anyone for a long time, you've rejected everyone that we set you up with. You've been very picky and suddenly you're going out with Malfoy? It doesn't make sense. And before you react, I have nothing against Malfoy. Whatever he did, it's all in the past, but despite that, I don't understand what you see in him. He may not be a bad person, but he's certainly not a nice man and after what happened with Dan..."

"Just because Dan cheated on me, you don't have to assume that every other man will," Harry said testily. He couldn't help the rush of irritable anger every time that his miserable ex was mentioned.

"Harry that's not what..." Hermione began, but Harry cut her off.

"Yes, I made a mistake with Dan and I got hurt. But that does not mean that I'm making a mistake now."

"I know that. But why can't you pick someone else? Why does it have to be Malfoy?"

"Because I like him, that's why! He's changed, alright. He's not the arrogant prick that he used to be. He's grown up, same as the rest of us."

Ron snorted disbelievingly at that, but Harry went right on.

"Neither of you has spoken to him since school. You have no idea what he's like. He's smart and funny, he's friendly and kind and he's got the most wonderful kid that he absolutely dotes on. I haven't seen much of them together, but it is obvious that Draco is a wonderful father and...I can't explain it, but I'm just drawn to him."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with matching expressions of disbelief.

"Are you sure he didn't do something to you, mate?" Ron said.

Harry sighed. "You'd rather believe that than accept that he's changed, huh? I know it sounds unbelievable, but you'll just have to trust me on this, alright."

"It's not that we don't trust you, mate. And maybe you're right, maybe he has changed, but I still don't understand how you can forgive him for everything he did. He used to be so horrid to us all the time. Have you forgotten the things he used to say to me, the names he used to call Hermione, the way he used to taunt you all the time?"

"I haven't forgotten any of that, Ron, but I have moved past it. And when I look back, I can see plenty of occasions when I was wrong too."

"What do you mean?"

"Take the the way I used to treat Professor Snape, for example. I hated it when he told me that I was insolent and arrogant like my father, but he was right. He used to pick on me all the time, but I was often rude to him. I never gave him the respect that I gave the other teachers and I snooped about in his memories after he expressly told me not to, telling myself all the time that he deserved it, because he was the bad guy, but he wasn't was he?"

There was a thoughtful silence for a while after that.

"I still don't see what any of this has to do with Malfoy," Ron said, coming back to his pet peeve.

"Draco was a school yard bully. So was my dad. He and Sirius did far worse things to Snape than Draco ever did to us. Did that make them bad people? Of course not! They grew up and changed. If you can accept that, I don't see why you can't believe that Draco could have changed as well."

"They were never Death Eaters, mate."

"True. But Draco never had a choice. I'm not defending anything that he did in the war, but I can't bring myself to judge him because I don't know what I would have done in his position. Honestly, what would you have done if your father was a Death Eater and you had Voldermort living in your home threatening to kill your mum if you didn't do as he said? Besides, all this was seven years ago. Why on earth are we still talking about it?"

"He almost killed me," Ron said.

"And I almost killed him," Harry countered. "It was war, Ron. We all made decisions and choices that we regret."

Ron coloured at that.

"That's very true, Harry," Hermione said softly. "I didn't bring this up because I blame Malfoy for what he did in the war. And it is definitely possible that he has changed. But no matter how much someone changes, they cannot alter their basic nature. Malfoy is selfish, cold, sarcastic and arrogant. He may have changed some of his ideas after the war, but I doubt that his basic nature has changed. And that is what I am worried about. You are a very unselfish, giving sort of person. You need someone who is every bit as generous as you, someone who can love you very much and Malfoy is not that person. He may not be out to hurt you, but that is what will happen in the end. The two of you are just too different. Any attempt at a relationship will require a lot of compromise and I'm afraid that you'll be the one doing all the compromising."

Harry thought about everything that Hermione had said and then he thought about Draco...the man that he had seen for the last couple days was nothing like the person that Hermione was describing. It was clear that Hermione had intended for her words to make him stop and think, but they had no such effect. Harry's instinct was to trust himself...

"I understand your concern, guys. I really do. But you have to understand that this is not a whim, though it may seem like that. There's something here, a connection that I've never felt with anyone else. I love the fact that Draco doesn't give a damn that I'm Harry Potter. In fact, he didn't even talk to me that day at the Ministry. I was the one initiated the conversation. I was the one who asked him to dance and I didn't expect to like him, but I did. He is snarky, he is a bit closed off and not as open about his feelings as I am, but that's fine with me. Besides, nothing's happened yet. We've just started dating...we'll work things out as we go along, or we won't. And that's a chance I'm willing to take. You don't have to like him. You don't even have to meet him if you don't want to, but you have to trust that I know what I'm doing."

Neither of his friends looked particularly convinced, but there was nothing they could do about it. They knew Harry well enough to know that once he made up his mind, he was impossible to budge.

...

**A/N: Tell me what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

Draco was humming as he gave Scorpius a bath. Scorpius watched his father intently, as if to say, "what's going on?"

Draco chuckled and answered the question. "I'm just happy, little man," he said and Scorpius giggled, the way he always did when his father smiled or laughed at him.

Then he splashed about his little tub, spraying water all over Draco's face and making him laugh again. Scorpius was a bundle of mischief all the time and even more so in his bath.  _Which is why I enjoy doing this so much_ , Draco thought as grabbed his son and pretended to wrestle with him. Scorpius kicked and pushed and tried to get away, giggling the whole time. By the time they were done, Draco had soap in his hair and his eyes, water all over his shirt and he looked a mess. He could easily have used a charm to keep himself dry, but this was more fun...a concept that had been alien to him for most of his life, until Scorpius came along and turned his life upside down.

Draco and Scorpius got dressed and went into the living room to wait for Harry. Binky was whizzing about the kitchen getting a picnic lunch ready for Master Draco and his young man, as she insisted on calling Harry.

"Look, little man. It's a beautiful day," Draco said. And it was. The sky was an intense blue and it was sunny and warm...the kind of warmth that gets under your skin and makes you want to get outside. A perfect day for a picnic.

This was something that Draco had never done before. His father had considered a picnic too plebeian a thing for a Malfoy to indulge in and once he'd grown up, there had never been any time for such frivolities. Draco acknowledged with a sigh that there were a lot of things that he had never really experienced in his life...the sort of things that most people take for granted. He'd had an isolated childhood and by the time he was eleven, his father had mapped out his entire life for him and Draco had had no choice but to walk down the path that his father had laid out.

He'd had years of 'Malfoys don't do this,' and 'Malfoys are not like that,' dinned into him. All that he had known was duty, responsibility and family pride. It was only after he'd become a father that Draco had started to feel like he was actually living his life, instead of merely getting through his days, doing what was expected of him, though he still did a lot of that. He glanced up at the clock and saw that there were a good ten minutes to go before Harry would get here. He settled down on the carpet with Scorpius after putting a cushioning charm on it and then he summoned a few of his toys. They played quietly for a while. Scorpius soon got bored of his flying brooms and he reached for his dragons.

Draco looked up when he heard the sound of the Floo. Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, as usual. It was a sight that Draco was starting to find rather endearing and he couldn't help the fond smile that crossed his face as he stood up. Harry looked up and saw that smile before Draco was able to shut it off or turn it into something less goofy.  _Bloody_   _Hufflepuff_ , he said to himself. He had been raised to believe that it was unseemly to show his feelings and there was enough Slytherin in him to be concerned about making himself vulnerable by showing what he felt.

But Harry had no such qualms. He smiled happily as he walked up to Draco and drew him into a hug. It was such an unexpected gesture that for a moment, Draco did not know how to react. He wished he was as easy with his affection as Harry was, as he reached up a little awkwardly and put his arms around him, relishing the way Harry felt against his body. He wanted to rest his head on Harry's shoulder and nuzzle against his neck, but he couldn't bring himself to take that liberty just yet.  _Soon, I hope,_  Draco thought as they moved apart.

Harry couldn't help but notice how good Draco looked in the blue denims and the light blue shirt, with his soft blonde hair hanging loose about his face. Draco stared right back, still unable to believe that the scrawny kid that he used to know had turned to such a gorgeous and seriously fit bloke...

"Would sirs be wanting some tea before they leave?" Binky said and they both started. Draco flushed a little when he realised how obvious he was being.

"So...um, would you like some tea?" Draco said to Harry, his cheeks pink.

Harry thought Draco looked adorable with that hint of pink on his cheeks. He was so absorbed on looking at him that he took a few seconds to reply.

"Um..." he said, having forgotten what the question was.

"Would you like some tea?" Draco said again, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harry coloured. "Thanks, but no. I think we should just go," he said and then he quickly turned his attention to Scorpius, who was looking at Harry with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

"Hello, Scorpius," Harry said, as he knelt in front of the little boy who cocked his head to one side and looked thoughtfully at him.

Harry chuckled and then he cupped Scorpius's cheek and kissed the top of his head. It was a sight that made Draco's heart flip over as he stood there looking at Harry and Scorpius together. They made such a cosy picture. He quietly went over to his table and picked up his camera. Harry was sitting with his head inclined while Scorpius showed off his collection of dragons, babbling about each of them in turn while Harry listened intently. Draco took a few quick photographs before either Harry or Scorpius became aware of it and when they noticed what he was doing, they were more than ready to pose for him.

"So...where are we going?" Draco said, when he was done.

"To one of the Black family properties," Harry said. "It's an estate on the Channel islands."

Draco's eyes widened. "I remember that place. It's by the beach isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's got it's own private beach."

"Mother used to take me there sometimes, when I was a kid," Draco said. "It's pretty big place, if i remember correctly."

"Yeah. It's a lot of land, all covered with trees and plants that look like they were planted hundreds of years ago. The house isn't too big, but it's comfortable."

"Who takes care of the place?"

"There was no one there when I inherited the property and the whole place was a big mess. So I hired a couple of house-elves and we spent a whole summer clearing it up. The elves take care of it now and I spent a lot of my weekends and most of my summers there. It's a lovely place."

"What happened to Grimmauld place?" Draco said.

"I restored and redecorated it. It's much more cheerful now. But I could never bring myself to live there somehow. It reminds me too much of Sirius and how unhappy he was living in that big house all by himself."

"Mother and I have been working on the Manor too, but it's slow going. If it was up to me, I'd rip out everything and do it over," Draco said.

"Why?"

"I hate it. That's why. Every single room has been tainted with memories of that madman," Draco said in a low voice. Clearly, this was a sore point with him.

Draco shook himself out of his thoughts. This was not the time or place to be gloomy.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Harry said. "Shall we go?"

"Sure," Draco said and he called Binky. She walked out of the kitchen with a large picnic basket that she had stuffed full of food. Draco shrunk the basket and put it in his pocket. Then he took the bag that he had packed for Scorpius and put it on his shoulder as Harry reached for Scorpius, picked him up and held him close. Draco's heart did that weird flipping thing again. He wondered how he was going to survive the day as Harry came up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist and looked right into his eyes.

"Ready?" Harry said.

Draco nodded and then they Apparated away. They landed on a warm beach. Harry let go of Draco and they stood in silence for a moment, just taking everything in. The beach was empty except for the seagulls and quiet, except for the cries of the birds and the soft lapping of the waves. It was low tide and the sea was relatively peaceful. It was a stunningly beautiful day and the water looked gorgeous as the sunlight glinted off it.

"It's beautiful," Draco said.

"You should see it on a moonlit night," Harry said. "The waves are huge and noisy and the sea looks just incredible."

"Thank you," Draco said.

"It's my pleasure. I've been quite eager to show this place off," Harry said. "I've never brought anyone here before."

Draco raised his eyebrows at that. "Not even Granger and Weasley?" he said.

Harry shook his head, but before he could say anything, Scorpius began to squirm in his arms, clearly bored of all this talk. He wanted to look around and explore this shiny new place.

"I think Scorpius is getting bored," Harry said. "Come, I'll show you the house."

Harry handed Scorpius to Draco and led them off the beach. The house was just a few yards away, hidden by a dense clump of trees, all several hundred feet tall, looking majestic as they stood around the house and the gardens, almost as if they were guarding it from intruders.

There was a narrow path through the trees that led to what seemed to be the backyard. There was a small kitchen garden there and an outdoor dining table set up under the trees.

"I don't remember any of this," Draco said.

"Oh! None of this was there before. I planted the garden a couple of years ago and set up the dining table and..." Harry trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Let's sit," he said as he quickly walked over to the table and sat down. Draco set Scorpius on the table and got out his toys.

"This should keep him busy for a while," he said.

A house-elf appeared as of on cue, carrying glasses of water and pumpkin juice.

"Will sirs be wanting lunch?" he asked.

"No, Benny. We've brought our own, thanks. I'll call you if we need anything," Harry said and the the house-elf bowed and disappeared with a crack, making Scorpius clap and laugh.

"I don't know why he's so fascinated by that," Draco said.

He offered Scorpius a glass of water which his son promptly refused. Scorpius played with his toys for a couple of minutes and then he got bored. He put them aside and before Draco could stop him, he reached for his bag and started rooting around...he pulled out the spare diapers and the spare set of clothes, the bottles of milk and started tossing them about. It took both Draco and Harry several minutes to grab everything, put it back in the bag and take it away from Scorpius.

"What you need is a distraction, little man," Draco said as he drew out his wand. He picked up a couple of pebbles and transfigured them into toy soldiers with little drums and then he animated them so they walked around drumming and singing. Scorpius squealed and clapped in excitement as he watched them march around the table.

"That's a neat little trick," Harry said.

"Well, being a parent teaches you a few things," Draco said with a wry smile. "I just hope it keeps him occupied for a while. I'm sorry, Harry. I'm a perfectly awful date."

"No you're not. I like Scorpius a lot and I like...this," Harry said as he waved his hand vaguely between the three of them. "I like the domesticity of this," he said and Draco was floored again.  _That does it,_  he thought. _I don't know how I'm going to manage it, but I have to find a way to keep this man forever._

They talked idly for a while and then Draco subtly manoeuvred the conversation around to the one thing he wanted to ask Harry about.

"I hope I'm not prying," he said. "But you obviously love this place. And yet you've never brought anyone here. Not even your best friends...Why is that?"

Harry looked a bit uncomfortable again. "I...um...this place has always felt very personal somehow, even more so than my home. I can't explain it, but this is where I come when I want to get away from stuff."

"I came here for the first time after I quit the Aurors. It was a bad time for me. I was a bit lost and unsure of what I wanted to do and all of my friends were hounding me, insisting that I had made a big mistake and that being an Auror was my calling and all of that shit. I badly needed to get away to a place where no one could find me. So I came here and this place was in a shambles and yet it was so peaceful. I just...I've never wanted to share it with anyone before."

...

**A/N: Tell me what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

Draco reached for Harry's hand and squeezed it lightly. Harry smiled a wry smile and they sat in silence for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sights and smells of the garden around them. Neither of them said anything. Draco absently stroked Harry's hand with his thumb while thinking that this man had had a lot more than his fair share of unhappiness and disappointment in his life. It didn't seem fair, considering how much he'd done for everyone, how much he'd been willing to sacrifice. Draco was overwhelmed by the urge to hold Harry close and to protect him, to do what he could to make him happy.

"So this is your happy place," he said finally.

"That's a nice way to put it," Harry said.

"It means a lot that you wanted to share it with me," Draco said, surprising Harry with his honesty.

"It means a lot that you're here," Harry replied. "The loneliness was getting to be painful."

That led to another silence, broken only by Scorpius' babbling which made Harry smile every bit as fondly as Draco. Harry couldn't help but notice how comfortable the silence felt. He felt as if he could just be and that Draco would understand him without his having to articulate everything. He hadn't felt this comfortable with anyone in a long time. There was welcome a sense of ease and the best thing was that there were no expectations here. They were both who they were and that was that.

...

It was late afternoon. They'd finished lunch and put Scorpius down for his nap in Harry's bedroom. They were sitting out on the balcony, looking at the sea and talking. Draco had just told Harry about his conversation with his mother the previous day. Narcissa had been very happy. She had been blaming herself for forcing Draco into marrying a woman just so she could have a grandchild. She was grateful for Scorpius every day, particularly when she saw how much Draco enjoyed being a father, but she hated the fact that her son was so lonely. It had made her very happy indeed to know that Draco was finally with someone. That the someone in question was Harry Potter was a bonus.

"Mother's hoping you'll come over for tea this weekend," Draco said.

"Of course. I'd love to meet her."

"I hope you won't be uncomfortable. I mean the last time you were there it was..." Draco broke off looking acutely uncomfortable.

Harry reached for his hand. "Terrible, but that's in the past. I know you blame yourself, but I don't want you thinking about all of that. It's long over and it really doesn’t matter anymore."

Draco sighed. "You're being nicer to me than I deserve," he said ruefully.

Harry squeezed his hand. "That's not true. There's plenty that you could hold against me if you wanted," he said.

Draco looked over to the waves crashing against the store and sighed. He still hadn't forgiven himself for the things he'd done during the war and he wondered if he ever would.

"Let it go," Harry whispered. "Everything that happened was Voldermort's doing. We were all forced into situations where we had no choice. Dwelling on it just lets him win."

Draco turned to Harry and looked at him, wondering when and how he'd got so mature.

"You're right," he said. "So...how did your friends take it?"

Harry frowned, but he didn't reply.

"Not very well huh?" Draco said gently.

Harry shook his head.

"It's okay. I can understand. Neither of them has any reason to think well of me and I'm sure they're just trying to look out for you."

"I don't need them to look out for me, Draco. I need them to be my friends and to trust me. I understand their concern, I really do, but I wish I could just do what I wanted and not have them question me and force me to explain and justify myself. I am not a child...I try not to let it bother me, but it hurts because they're the only family I have and I just want them to accept the choices I make. Sure I make mistakes sometimes, but then who doesn't?"

"I just want them to be there for me and they're not. Whether it was me quitting the Aurors or breaking up with Ginny, they never understood or supported me the way I wanted. I don't see what the point of all their concern is, if all it's going to do is make me feel bad about myself."

Draco had nothing to say to that. He knew very well what it was like to have your own family not understand you. So he stood up and pulled Harry to his feet and then he hugged him tight. Harry relaxed into the embrace, feeling a bit surprised by how comforting it was.

"Let's not talk about them, shall we?" Draco said gently.

Harry pulled away so he could look at Draco's face. 'What do you suggest we do instead?" he said with a smirk.

Draco didn't answer. He leaned forward and kissed Harry lightly on his mouth. Then he pulled back just a bit...they looked at each other for a couple of moments and then they kissed again. It was light and tentative. They were still feeling their way around each other. Draco tightened his hold on Harry's waist. Harry caressed the back of Draco's neck. He ran his fingers through that silky blond hair and found it to be every bit as soft as he had imagined.

They pressed their lips against each other and tentative as they were, it felt right and familiar. Harry licked Draco’s lips and Draco sighed softly. Draco nipped Harry’s lower lip and Harry moaned. They continued like that for a while just holding each other close and kissing softly. It was so delicate and soft, nowhere near a snog and yet it felt so completely wonderful. They sensed instinctively that this thing that they had between them, it was too young and too recent to call it a relationship yet, but whatever it was, it was precious and it had the potential to be something quite wonderful. So they took it slow, just letting their feelings build and grow before rushing into anything.

They pulled away from each other after a bit, but they stayed close. Neither of them said anything for a while. They looked at each other with shy little smiles, both trying to absorb the absolute perfection of the moment.

Which was broken by a loud wail from Scorpius who had just woken up, feeling rather hungry and messy. Draco and Harry went back into the room. Harry called his house-elf and asked him to get some food and milk for Scorpius while Draco got the spare diapers out of the bag and went about cleaning Scorpius and getting him changed. He kept up a low stream of words all through. Scorpius stopped fretting after a while and then he lay there with face all scrunched up while his father cleaned him up.

Harry stood by, watching the two of them and he felt his heart turn to mush as he heard the tenderness in Draco’s voice and he saw the way he handled his son. It was obvious that he adored the little boy. _This is the sort of person I want to spend my life with,_ he thought. _Someone who is capable of loving and caring that much. It can’t be easy for him, being a single dad. And yet it’s obvious that there’s nothing else he’s rather be. I can truly see myself having a family with him,_ Harry thought as he went over to the bed and knelt beside Draco.

Scorpius turned his beautiful gray eyes on Harry and he smiled, showing all of his pretty white teeth. Harry leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead.

”I think I’m in love with you, little man,” he said as he tickled Scorpius under his chin.

Draco smiled. “He tends to have that effect on people. You should see Pansy. She’s besotted with him. Can’t wait to have one of her own, she says.”

“I’m not surprised. This little man is the most adorable kid I’ve ever seen,” Harry said.

Scorpius was all cleaned and changed and Benny had come back with the egg, the fruit and the milk. Draco was reaching for Scorpius when Harry stopped him.

“May I?” he said.

Draco was surprised. “You want to feed him?” he said.

“Yeah.”

“He’s...very messy.”

“I know. I feed Rosie all the time.”

“Okay,” Draco said and he sat on the bed and watched as Harry sat Scorpius in his lap and proceeded to feed him.

It was a sight that filed him with warmth _. So this is what it feels like to have a partner to share all this with_ , Draco thought as he watched Scorpius eat less than half of his food, dribble the rest all over himself and Harry and generally make a royal mess of everything while he blabbered nonstop. Harry blabbered right back and he seemed quite unfazed by the mess. Once he was done with the feeding, Draco went over to help Harry and between them they got Scorpius cleaned up and Draco settled him into his lap with the bottle of milk.

There was nothing remarkable about any of this. It was all very mundane and it should have felt that way, but it didn’t. There was a cosy domesticity about it all that appealed immensely to Harry and Draco was overcome by how wonderful it felt to share these everyday things with a partner. They looked at each other over the top of Scorpius’ head and smiled. Harry leaned over, put his arm around Draco and kissed him. They knew in that moment that this thing they had between them was strong and that it would last a good long while. Things would not always be easy. They would probably fight and hurt each other along the way, but one day, they would be a family.

...

Fin.

A/N: That's the end of this story folks. I want to thank everyone who read and commented. There will be a sequel to this someday and then I hope to see you again. Until then...

 

 

 

 

 


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